lifekenophobic

Sorry for the long post, but I need some serious help with this decision. I'm one of those over-thinkers, and have been racking my brain with this one. I'm trying to decide between the Tomei Expreme Ti and the Invidia Gemini. Keep in mind that I daily drive my Z, and will be bone stock except for the catback that I choose (stock headers, cats, and y-pipe). And since I daily drive my Z, I'm looking for something that won't be TOO loud.



I understand that I'm talking about two completely different exhausts, so here is what I consider to be the pros and cons of each:

Tomei Expreme Ti
Pros:

• Design - Let's be honest, it looks fantastic.
• Weight - Much lighter than stock at ~10 pounds.
• Material - Titanium not only looks nice and is light, but adds a unique tone as well.
• Piping - I've read that a single 3" may be better for n/a. (Not looking to get into a back pressure/turbulance/scavenging debate). I also couple this with the fact that the Z comes stock with a single pipe configuration, into a dual exit.

Cons:

• Sound - Although I'm on stock cats, I worry that the Tomei might have that tinny/raspy full-race-car sound.
• Volume - I worry about drone and overall volume, especially on highways.
• Aesthetics - I think single exhaust looks okay on a Z (with a bumper tuck), but honestly prefer the look of a dual exit.

Invidia Gemini
Pros:

• Design - Looks pretty nice, and the quality seems good for the price.
• Sound - Keeps that nice VQ note, just amplifies it a bit.
• Aesthetics - Not hating on one or the other, but I lean a little more toward dual exit designs. Also saves me from drilling holes in my bumper.

Cons:

• Quality - I've seen people have issues with flex pipes and resonators on this exhaust, and the lower price worries me sometimes.
• Volume - I worry that the Gemini will be a little TOO subtle for me, and will lack that occasional punch that I want.
• Weight - Nothing against stainless steel, but it's a fact that I'll be adding more weight than the Tomei.

So this is pretty much where I stand right now. I was hoping some of you that have had these exhausts could chime in and help me out. (Btw, thanks to those who have already replied to PM's - RENFRO, travlee). Also, I understand there are going to be some suggestions of different exhausts, but I'm strictly looking for input on these two. I am pretty close to just flipping a coin on this decision, lol. Thanks in advance for any input.

Sean

2 pipes are better looking than 1.

07maximan

iTrader: (3)

I agree, Im not a fan of the single tip look. My vote is for the Invidia.

MeinVinyl

iTrader: (3)

I currently have a true dual exhaust and will be getting rid of it for the Tomei Expreme. I love the sound of the Tomei, but mine will probably be a louder setup than you're looking for (LTH). I've only heard one Tomei Expreme in person that didn't have any other exhaust modifications, including NOT having the Tomei Y-Pipe and it didn't have any rasp. It seemed to still have the VQ sound quite distinctly. That was one of the reasons I'm going with it. It was a very deep rumble and it does look pretty amazing.

My current exhaust is REALLY deep (little to no drone) but the Tomei fits my goals much better.

If you're not going to do any other modifications and just daily the car, you need to remove "weight" or any other "performance" pro/con as a factor since you wouldn't really be utilizing it. Personally, I would anyways.

mcarther101

iTrader: (8)

Tomei will outperform the Invidia for sure, and will outlast it as well (Titanium is more resistant to weather). Tomei will drone, and be loud and race-car-ish like you say. Invidia Gemini is commonly found on every boring 350z out there.

I vote Tomei.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

exhaust rarely give you any performance gains, more for sound

timeltel

Regards, lifekenophobic: Invidia Gemini on my '08 for a year now, purchased when Invidia replaced the troublesome flex pipe with a slip joint. Good fitment, flanges make up correctly, and just loud enough to enjoy the VQ exhaust note in the cabin without being distracting. Also, expect the stainless construction to last for the life of the Z.

No experience with the Tomei, cruising/touring is the primary use, performance gains were a secondary consideration. Good luck.

lifekenophobic

Yeah man, that Tomei is going to be loud as sht with LTH, haha. Should sound pretty amazing though, so post some vids when you get that done. I most likely would not go with any other breather mods if I choose the Tomei, and it does seem to retain that deep VQ note with no other exhaust mods. (I will not be running the Tomei y-pipe either). I keep weight and performance somewhat in mind, because it never hurts to have either, right? Some people may consider it blasphemy to choose this exhaust and NOT open up the restrictive parts (cats especially), but my long term goal is a twin turbo setup. I know true dual would work better for that, but we're talking years down the road.

Drone is the main thing that I worry about, especially around 70-80 mph. The plus side is that it comes with a silencer. So I could pop that in for long highway trips, if it's too much. They look ugly, sure, but I was thinking I could use some high temp paint and make it black. Besides, I mainly just do city driving to and from work. I'd say I'm under 3k RPMs about 90% of the time.

Agreed Trav, and as you know I did consider the Motordyne at one point. I believe the TDX2 by itself would be louder on stock cats/headers than the Tomei, but I may be wrong. The Motordyne also doesn't come with silencer(s), and the only way to tame it is a $400+ HFC module. It's also about $500 more than the Tomei to begin with.

Our primary concerns are the same, but I would also like to have an exhaust that can scream when it wants to. Performance and weight are just an added bonus to the Tomei.

I appreciate the feedback guys!

lifekenophobic

For those that want an example, this video appears to be a stock HR. If the owner reads this, feel free to chime in!


That is pretty much the exact sound and volume that I'm looking for.

pyshin

iTrader: (14)

You should put a poll on this thread

Tomei Expreme Ti with a clean bumper tuck and rear lower tie brace FTW.

lifekenophobic

Good thinking pyshin. Poll has been added, and I appreciate your votes!

milton350z

I have the Invidia N1 on my Z, I love it, it sounds good and can sound quiet when you want it to. Sounds at least 8x louder than stock and you get the two tip exit.

ttknf

OP - You answered your own question in the original post. You said you DD and don't want something loud; the Tomei is very loud. Done deal, buy the Invidia.

HR.R-CING

LOL at these 2 options.

Motordyne TDX2 with ART Pipes and it's not even close.

ttknf

^^THIS

travlee

iTrader: (8)

i told him the motordyne option a while back.. dont think his budget wants to do it

lifekenophobic

The TDX2 and ART pipes wasn't an option, because I'm not looking for that much volume. I know in person it sounds different than YouTube clips, but I can tell that it's too loud for me. I understand the Tomei will be loud too, but no way it'll be as loud as that combo. I'm hoping it'll also settle down a bit with some carbon build-up, otherwise I always have the silencer option.

Like I said before, there was a point where I considered the TDX2/ART pipe setup. As long as I'm putting quality parts into my car, my budget can be flexible. I feel like Tomei has a better quality exhaust in this case, so I've made that my choice.

I'll be ordering my exhaust soon, and will update here later with pictures and videos.

RENFRO

iTrader: (1)

Figure out what your primary goals are. ART pipes will rob some power from you. Yes, I have the same day dyno results to prove it (https://my350z.com/forum/intake-exha...-pipes-47.html) post 925. I gained about 9rwhp just switching to standard test pipes. I still think those results are on the last post in the Motordyne ART pipes thread. However, the tone from the ART pipes can't be beaten.

You'll also make more power with the Tomei. I gained about 7rwhp by switching from a momentum dual to the tomei single.

You truly don't quite understand how loud the tomei is if you think it's not as loud as the motordyne. Of course, depending on the setup. I'm running momentum headers, test pipes, xyz w/resonator, and the tomei single. Probably one of the loudest setups you could run.

lifekenophobic

Thanks again for all the information RENFRO. I definitely found inspiration in your car, since you have the exact wheels, exhaust, and stance that I was planning. I do enjoy seeing the slammed/stanced cars (to an extent), but it's not what I want for my car.

My goal is to have a nice, clean, DD-able Z with performance a little over stock. I think the RPF1's look nice, and I love how light they are. I also plan to run a nice fat set of tires like you have. I'm glad to hear you saw some gains by switching to the Tomei, because I've been reading that a single 3" may be slightly better for n/a.

As for the volume, I don't doubt that a Tomei with your setup would be louder than the TDX2 and ART pipes. The catback is the only thing I will be running though, so it should be about the same as that video I posted above. I guess we'll find out, because I'll be ordering the Tomei soon. Pics and vids to come...

Golden_Armz

iTrader: (3)

Tomei might be way too loud... And I'm not a big fan of single can exhaust. Invidia Gemini is pretty quiet, but I'm gonna be adding test pipe soon and the sound will be perfect.